Capitol Hill Week
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.), April 4, 2022 – Action on Capitol Hill continued to shift from committees to the floor of the Senate this week as lawmakers worked diligently to approve many important bills. Over half of the Senate’s nine standing committees have completed their business for the 112th General Assembly. Meanwhile, the state budget will be the central focus during the final weeks before adjournment.
Governor Lee proposes new budget amendment
Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley briefed members of the Senate Finance Committee this week on Governor Bill Lee’s proposed additions to the 2022-2023 state budget. The total cost of the proposed budget is $52.8 billion. Changes to the proposal include $241 million for one-time budget expenditures and $74 million for recurring items. The new amendment reflects Governor Lee’s priorities to focus on long-term, strategic, one-time investments that can help the state withstand future economic downturns.
I was pleased to see over $70 million set aside for new capital projects for Tennessee Tech in the Governor’s proposal. These projects include $29.9 million for the new Tucker Stadium, $21.5 million for the Facilities Services Complex, and $13.9 million for the Wings Up Way Parking Garage.
I look forward to working with Governor Lee and my colleagues in the coming weeks to thoroughly review the Governor’s proposal and ensure that the state is making good investments with taxpayer dollars that continue our record of fiscal responsibility.
Education Committee approves legislation promoting fairness in school sports
I am pleased that two bills aimed at ensuring fairness in school sports advanced out of the Education Committee this week. Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting biological males from participating in girls’ sports in public K-12 education. Senate Bill 2153 would extend that prohibition to public higher education institutions.
This bill levels the playing field for female athletes who’ve trained all their lives to compete at a collegiate level. It is not fair for a biological male to compete against these elite women.
There have been numerous examples of biological males competing and winning in women’s sporting events throughout the country, including in the NCAA 500-yard freestyle last month.
The Education Committee this week also passed Senate Bill 1861 which builds off the legislation passed last year. Under the bill, the Tennessee Department of Education would withhold a portion of state funds from public middle or high schools that fail or refuse to determine a student’s gender at the time of birth for participation in school sports.
Senate Republicans vote to balance power of government agencies in courts
This week I supported legislation to keep government agencies in check by directing courts to no longer give deference to administrative agencies over citizens and businesses. Senate Bill 2285 directs courts to take up cases that involve the interpretation of administrative rules “de novo”. This means a court will have to decide these cases without reference to any legal conclusion or assumption made by a previous court.
The bill directly addresses a landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision which established the “Chevron Doctrine” in 1984. This ruling gave deference to administrative agencies in the interpretation of their own rule, which has expanded the administrative state at the cost of the average citizen and business.
The practice of “Chevron Deference” is not how our justice system is supposed to work and I was pleased to see this legislation passed to balance the power of our government agencies in courts.
Please continue to reach out to me with questions or comments about any of these bills or other legislation in the General Assembly. Thank you for allowing me to serve the great citizens of Senate District 15.